Mary Catherine Leslie

It is with great sadness that the family of Mary Catherine Leslie shares that she passed away peacefully at Western Memorial Regional Hospital on April 19, 2026, at the age of 87 years.

Leaving to mourn with loving memories are her husband of 70 years, Calvin; her son, Brian, of Corner Brook; and her daughter, Janet (Keith), of Saline, Michigan; her brother, Ed; sister, Patricia Cosman; sister-in-law, Sylvia Hollahan; friend and neighbor, Evelyn Colford; and many nieces and nephews.

Mary was born and spent her life in Corner Brook, the 7th child of Samuel and Norah Hollahan. She is predeceased by her parents, brothers Bill, Sam, Jack, Tom, and Kevin, and sisters Sarah Companion, Marjorie Prosper, Cecelia Dugas, and Audrey Johnson.

She was a woman who defined her life by industriousness. She was resilient and precise by nature, an example of hard work and integrity. She was career- and education-focused, long before it was the norm for women of her era. Mary contributed to many companies but primarily focused on administrative roles at Lundrigan's Ltd.

Mom found joy in routine and organization, savoring a good cup of tea and a cigarette once the work was done. She was intelligent and skilled, took pleasure in developing new skills, and was a lifelong learner, admiring the educators she met along the way. She was a quiet soul with a big heart who often put others' needs first. A devoted wife and mother, Mary took pleasure in her family and, in her own way, had the fierce love of a mama bear.

We would like to express our gratitude to those who were supportive and thoughtful, helping our family and brightening Mom's days during her struggle with dementia and kidney failure. We are especially grateful for the support of friend Evelyn Colford, the amazing caregiving of Carol Bennett, and the comfort in her later days from her sister, Patricia, and brother, Ed.

Our heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses, and care teams of the Dialysis Unit and Unit 5B/General Medicine, who cared for and treated her with kindness, compassion, and respect.

At Mary's request, cremation will take place, but no memorial service will be held. We will gather at a later time for a celebration of her life. She will be interred at the Anglican Townsite Cemetery. As a gesture of remembrance, donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or the Kidney Foundation of Canada would be greatly appreciated.

For those who knew her, take a moment to read her lifelong favorite poem, "Desiderata," by Max Ehrmann. Although as humans none of us can achieve all those goals, Mom tried her best. Like us all, she was" a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars…". We take comfort in knowing that she is at peace. We hope you are finally allowing yourself some leisure and fun, Mom. Love, laugh, and dance until we meet again.